Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thought the situation at the front remained “extremely acute”, mainly in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is stepping up its offensive. Here are the topmost points.
Russia has trod up its attack on Ukrainian towns in the east and the northeast, days after the West pledged more tanks in what Volodymyr Zelenskyy labeled as a “tank coalition”.
After Germany and then the US, Poland promised an additional 60 tanks on top of 14 German-made Leopard 2 boilers it had already pledged. A total of 321 heavy boilers have been promised to Ukraine by several republics, Reuters reported.
But Ukraine President Zelenskyy has called the state of affairs at the front “extremely acute”, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region where Russia is treading up its offensive. Major battles are ongoing for Vuhledar, to the southwest of Donetsk, and Bakhmut, to the northeast.
Here are the top points.
Both sides are likely to launch spring offensives, though the US has advised Ukraine to wait until the latest weapons are in place and the drill has been provided – a process expected to take several months.
Vladimir Putin’s army in the intervening time is aiming to storm positions held by Ukrainian troops. Zelenskyy suspects Russia of deliberately and methodically destroying the towns and villages around tactical positions, with artillery, air strikes, and missiles.
In Donetsk and Bakhmut, the Russian violence is being led by the Wagner Group, a private military company with longtime associations with Vladimir Putin. Wagner personnel are marching on the bodies of their militias, as per Ukrainian authorities, indicating the brutal nature of the group’s actions.